PAM. 
N.  AMER. 


Our  Work 
Among  the  Negroes 

Historical  Sketch  * 

Mrs.  E.  L.  Albright 

Peck  Home,  New  Orleans,  La. 

In  New  Orleans,  Home  Mission  work  antedates  the 
organization  of  our  Society.  It  was  inaugurated  in  1870 
by  Mrs.  Hartzell,  wife  of  Bishop  Hartzell.  Through  her 
influence  a mission  school  was  established  in  1887,  and 
through  a generous  gift  by  Mrs.  Zela  Bennett  and  the 
continued  effort  of  the  Central  New  York  Conference, 
an  Industrial  Home  was  built  in  1889,  and  named  in 
honor  of  Bishop  Peck.  At  that  time  it  was  the  only 
Protestant  Mission  Home  in  the  state  of  Louisiana  for 
its  Negro  population  of  1,000,000,  30,000  of  whom  lived 
in  that  city. 

After  eight  years  of  most  effective  work  the  Home 
was  burned,  but  the  Peck  School  of  Domestic  Science  in 
connection  with  New  Orleans  University  kept  it  in  re- 
membrance. The  new  building,  erected  in  1911-12,  at  a 
cost  of  $25,000,  is  crowded  with  eager,  hopeful  students. 

Thayer  Home,  South  Atlanta,  Ga. 

The  first  Industrial  Home  for  Negro  girls  was  the 
outgrowth  of  the  thought  and  earnest  effort  of  Dr.  E.  O. 
Thayer,  President  of  Clark  University,  who  united  with 
Northern  friends  in  securing  funds  for  a building  which, 
in  1889,  was  transferred  to  the  Woman’s  Home  Missionary 
Society. 

During  the  years  since  that  time  the  girls  in  the  Home 
have  recited  with  the  University  classes,  and  girls  in  the 
University  have  been  trained  in  various  industries  in  the 
Home. 

Haven  Home,  Savannah,  Ga. 

In  the  year  1881,  Asbury  Church,  built  by  Bishop  Gil- 
bert Haven,  became  the  nucleus  of  a city  missionary  work. 
In  1885  a building  which  we  continued  to  use  for  twenty- 

^Presented  ai  the  annual  meeting  oi  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 
October.  1913. 


five  years  was  purchased,  and  an  Industrial  Home  estao- 
lished  therein.  Eight  of  its  graduates  have  been  teachers 
in  the  school,  and  one,  at  least,  a missionary  in  Africa. 

Two  churches  and  six  Sunday  Schools  have  been  estab- 
lished in  connection  with  this  work,  and  an  important 
mission  at  Speedwell,  near  Savannah,  named  in  honor  of 
Mrs.  Speedwell,  of  Louisville.  Ky.,  a generous  giver 
toward  the  work. 

In  1912  the  site  had  become  undesirable  and  the  prop- 
erty was  sold  to  the  city  for  a public  school. 


Browning  Home,  Camden,  S.  C. 

The  work  here,  like  that  in  New  Orleans,  antedates 
the  organization  of  our  Society.  In  1864  Mrs.  Sarah 
Mather  purchased  a property  and  opened  an  academy. 
In  1889  this  became  the  property  of  the  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society  by  gift  and  purchase,  and  the  academy 
still  bears  the  name  Mather,  in  her  honor.  Large  gifts 
from  Fannie  O.  Browning  and  Lucy  Babcock  made  pos- 
sible the  halls  bearing  their  names.  The  gift  from  an 
unknown  friend  of  $25,000  brought  to  us  in  1912  an  ex- 
cellent school  building,  with  accommodations  for  500  boys 
and  girls  in  the  day  school. 


Allen  Home,  Ashcznlle,  N C. 

In  1887  Dr.  L.  M.  Pease,  founder  of  Five  Points  Mis- 
sion, New  'S'ork  City,  donated  to  us  a lot  on  which  were 
a small  school  building  and  two  cottages,  on  condition 
that  a graded  school  for  Negroes  should  be  maintained 
there.  This  became  our  first  graded  Industrial  School. 

Through  the  years  the  property  has  been  improved  and 
etilarged.  The  cottages  have  given  place  to  a commodious 
and  well-equipped  Home.  Mrs.  Marriage  Allen,  of  Lon- 
don, England,  contributed  $2,500  to  the  building  of  the 
Home,  and  Mr.  Lurandus  Beach,  $2,000  to  the  building  of 
the  new  schoolhouse. 

Over  6,000  boys  and  girls  have  attended  the  day  school, 
and  the  third  generation  of  girls  can  now  be  found  among 
those  in  the  Home 

Berry  Chapel,  the  colored  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Asheville,  has  its  origin  as  a “class”  in  the  school.  For 
years  its  services  were  held  in  the  school  chapel,  but  it  has 
now  growm  to  such  strength  that  a few  years  since  it 
entertained  the  North  Carolina  Conference  in  its  own 
neat  building. 

'Boylan  Home,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

During  the  dark  days  of  slavery  two  large  plantations 
t)ore  the  tiame  of  Boylan.  A member  of  this  family,  Mrs. 


De  Groot,  desired  to  give  the  name  to  a Home  that  would 
have  for  its  object  the  uplifting  and  saving  of  down- 
trodden humanity.  For  this  purpose  she  made  generous 
contribution  toward  the  building  of  Boylan  Home. 

The  original  cottage  has  given  place  to  a commodious 
building  with  100  boarding  pupils  and  a day  school. 

Brewster  Hospital,  also  in  Jacksonville,  is  giving  loving 
ministry  to  the  colored  race.  Its  trained  nurses  are  well 
received  by  the  best  white  families. 

Emerson  Home,  Ocala,  Fla. 

This  is  one  of  our  smaller  schools,  but  it  has  trained 
and  sent  out  a number  of  very  worthy  girls,  one  of  whom 
is  a missionary  in  Africa,  and  others  are  teachers  in 
schools  of  our  Society. 


Adeline  Smith  Home,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

• The  need  of  special  training  for  girls  was  so  keenly 
felt  at  Philander  Smith  University  that  Mrs.  Smith  made 
possible  the  establishment  of  an  Industrial  Home  by  a 
generous  gift,  and  the  work  was  opened  in  1883.  Since 
that  time  it  has  co-operated  with  the  college  in  preparing 
the  students  for  intelligent  Christian  living. 

Elizabeth  L.  Rust  Home,  Holly  Springs,  Miss. 

This  Home,  named  in  honor  of  our  first  General  Cor- 
responding Secretary,  was  opened  in  1884,  on  the  campus 
of  Rust  University,  which  is  situated  in  the  Black  Belt 
of  Mississippi.  The'  work  here  has  been  remarkable  for 
its  self-denial,  economy,  and  high  spiritual  atmosphere. 
Greatly  handicapped  for  years  by  lack  of  room,  a new 
wing  has  just  been  added  to  the  building,  .with  better 
accommodations  and  equipment,  and  it  is  now  starting  on 
a career  of  larger  usefulness. 


New  Jersey  Home,  Morristown,  Tenn. 

In  1884,  in  response  to  an  appeal  from  President  Hill, 
of  Morristown  Academy,  for  an  Industrial  Home  for 
girls  in  connection  with  that  school,  the  New  Jersey  Con- 
ference began  raising  funds  for  that  purpose.  With  the 
aid  of  other  Conferences  the  Home  was  built  jn  1890,  and 
its  work  has  been  most  successful.  Scores  of  well-trained 
young  women  have  gone  out  to  help  in  the  uplift  of  their 
race 


Kent  Hotne,  Greensboro,  N.  C. 

The  same  year — 1884 — Troy  Conference  undertook  the 
erection  of  a Home  for  girls  in  connection  with  Bennett 
College.  The  building  was  named  in  memo^  of  the  hus- 
band of  Mrs.  Anna  Kent,  who  has  given  to  it  most  gener- 
ous support.  The  first  building,  destroyed  by  fire,  has  been 
replaced  by  a larger  one,  giving  better  opportunities  for 
the  excellent  training  for  which  the  Home  has  been  noted. 


King  Home,  Marshall,  Texas 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  our  Society  in  1886,  steps 
were  taken  for  the  establishment  of  an  Industrial  Home 
in  connection  with  Wiley  University,  which  is  located  in 
the  midst  of  a Negro  population  of  900,000,  of  whom 
250,000  are  within  a radius  of  one  hundred  miles.  (The 
ratio  of  Negroes  to  whites  in  the  state  of  Texas  is  thirty 
to  one.) 

Central  Ohio  Conference  began  the  work  of  raising 
funds  for  this  Home,  and  their  gifts  included  one  of  $2,(X)0 
from  Mrs.  Jane  King.  Other  Conferences  helped,  and -the 
building  was  opened  in  1890.  The  value  of  the  training 
given  here  to  young  women,  and  especially  to  teachers, 
can  be  judged  by  the  fact  that  the  state  employs  3,000 
Negro  teachers  in  its  public  schools. 


Eliza  Dee  Home,  Austin,  Texas 

This  Home  was  opened  in  1905,  in  affiliation  with  Sam- 
uel Huston  College.  It  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Miss 
Eliza  Dee,  who  gave  $3,000  toward  the  building.  West 
Texas  also  gave  largely  toward  the  building  and  furnish- 
ings. From  its  beginning,  the  Home  and  the  Domestic 
Science  class  have  been  crowded  to  their  utmost  capacity. 

The  total  estimated  value  of  our  Industrial  Homes  and 
schools  for  Negroes  is  $254,850. 


Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


50  or  less,  6c. ; 50  lo  100.  10c. 


